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Missing NH Couple Confirmed Dead In Texas, Police Look For Killer

RUMNEY, N.H. (CBS) -- The two dead bodies found on a beach in Corpus Christi have been identified as the bodies of a New Hampshire couple reported missing last month, according to a county sheriff's office in Texas.

James Butler, 48, and his wife, 46-year-old Michelle, are believed to be dead as of Friday evening. According to police, they were reported missing on Oct. 23 after friends and family lost contact with them.

Butler New Hampshire Texas
James and Michelle Butler. (Family Photo)

Police said they were last known to have parked their trailer on a beach on Padre Island on Oct. 15. A friend told police they last had spoken to them the day after.

"They were very good staying in touch with everybody and awesome sharing their daily adventures," said James's sister Deborah Van Loon.

On Sunday, police found the bodies of a man and a woman on the same beach where the couple was last seen. The deaths were deemed homicides by the medical examiner.

Police have video footage of the victims' truck and trailer crossing the Mexico border on Oct. 21, but the driver in the video is not James.

The couple left their home in Rumney, New Hampshire a year and a half ago to take a trip around the country, taking odd jobs along the way.

"He said 'I've never seen the United States' and bought a used RV," Van Loon said.

Police are still investigating the deaths and are looking for the couple's truck and trailer.

 

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